Too much energy High carbon footprint
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and is manufacturered in a sustainable manner. The Paper Industry has managed to break the link between increased production and increased emissions and environmental impacts. Through the Paper Sector’s Climate Change Agreement, all mills have to report their production and energy use figures to Government every two years. This continued focus on energy efficiency means that compared to 1990, an impressive 42% less energy is required to make each tonne of paper produced in 2010.
MYTH
We should only produce and use recycled paper
Even though the UK already has a great record in recycling, this doesn’t mean to say we can recycle forever – paper can only be recycled around 4-6 times before the fibres weaken and lose their papermaking qualities. Virgin pulp therefore is an essential ingredient in the papermaking chain. It has been estimated that if virgin pulp was not used in the chain, paper production would grind to a halt within a matter of months.
Don’t forget too, that not all paper can be recycled as around 19% of the paper used in Europe is not available for recycling. Sometimes it is kept (records, books), some burnt (cigarette papers) and some literally goes down the pan (toilet rolls).
MYTH
The Paper Industry uses too much energy
Energy efficiency remains at the top of the Paper Industry’s agenda. Without exception, every UK paper mill has an energy efficiency plan. The efficient use of energy has always been a key issue for the Paper Industry as this is one of its main production costs. Mills are always looking for incremental ways to reduce energy use – better control of processes, reducing waste, better product design, using new technologies and sharing best practice and lessons.
Major investment decisions provide an opportunity to improve energy efficiency, and UK paper mills have invested heavily in the development of Combined Heat and Power (CHP), with well over half of production now coming from sites using this technology, resulting in lower emissions. CHP uses heat that would otherwise be wasted in conventional generation, meaning an overall saving as heat no longer needs to be generated by stand alone boilers. Indeed, a number of sites have gone to the next step in saving by installing biomass fired CHP using waste materials and fibres that can no longer be recycled.
MYTH
Paper has a higher carbon footprint than electronic media
It goes without saying that all human activities have an environmental footprint. We have used paper for thousands of years and whilst the efficiency of electronic communication is clear, the carbon footprint of this medium is clear too.
To put things in perspective: • Users of e-mail for business
purposes generate 131 kg CO2 per year, of which 22% results from spam1
.
• 1,000 Google queries generate 200g CO2
, the same amount as a
mid-size car travelling 1 km2 • Each printed Stern Review uses 85g CO2
while the same report read •
online generates 226g of CO2 emissions every time it’s read. The production of a CD or DVD
alone causes 300 or 350g of CO2 respectively. 3
Paper is a renewable and recyclable product and is environmentally sustainable.
1
1Stern review, 2 calculation based on intel dual core, CRT monitor and wireless router, energy costs sourced from choice
Australia, 3 study in 2007 by Dr Tony Wilkins for News ltd. 2
McAffee Carbon Footprint of Email Spam report 3 Google
in total per paper copy,
2010 Annual Review
destroying forests CUT DOWN TREES
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